It was an easy narrative to latch onto — Seattle Reign FC responds well to adversity, and the squad typically comes back after putting in disappointing performances the week prior. They could do the same against their fiercest rivals after blowing two leads on the road against Sky Blue.

The North Carolina Courage comes to Providence Park today to take on the Thorns. The last time these two teams faced off in Portland was in the semifinals of the 2016 playoffs, a rollercoaster of a game that ended with the Thorns' crushing overtime elimination to the then-Western New York Flash.

This is the first of three home games for the Thorns, which, if they can pull off a result today against a very good Courage side, should put them in a good position to start turning this mediocre season around.

SEATTLE — It is often a bit of a sports cliche to say that a player "took over the match," but that is exactly what Megan Rapinoe did for Seattle Reign FC on Saturday evening. Facing the Portland Thorns — in the team's third match in seven days — Rapinoe's two goals and relentless pressure earned a critical 2-0 victory for Seattle.

The Portland Thorns take on the Seattle Reign tonight for the second of three matchups between the two teams this season. Both teams are playing their third game this week, with the Reign having been at home all week; they came away with a win against Chicago on Wednesday, thanks to a pair of penalty kicks, and a draw against Kansas City the previous Saturday, playing almost the entire match with 10 women after Lauren Barnes earned a straight red in the fourth minute.

The Seattle Reign FC remain busy in the trading market, as the club announced on Wednesday that they have traded defender/forward Merritt Mathias and a natural 2019 second round draft pick to North Carolina in exchange for the Courage's natural first round pick in the 2019 NWSL College Draft.

Mathias came to Seattle in 2015 from FC Kansas City in exchange for defender Kate Deines and two 2015 draft picks.

It was expected to be a quiet day for Seattle Reign FC in the NWSL Draft, but instead of announcing one pick in the last round, the club ended up with three new players.

Before the draft started, the first Vlatko Andonovski - Laura Harvey trade was announced. Reign FC acquired defender Yael Averbuch and the 25th overall pick in the draft in exchange for midfielder Diana Matheson.

It's official: Laura Harvey will remain in the NWSL for the 2018 season, but she won't be in a Seattle Reign FC kit this time around. On Monday, Harvey was introduced as the new head coach of Utah's NWSL soccer team, which is owned by Real Salt Lake.

On Tuesday, November 7, Seattle Reign FC officially announced that Vlatko Andonovski, the former FC Kansas City manager and two-time NWSL title winner, will be taking over as the club's head coach and general manager. Laura Harvey, who has been with Seattle since its inaugural 2013 season, is rumored to be taking a position with U.

After a disappointing 2016 season that saw one of the most talented squads fall short of the playoffs, this year's Seattle Reign FC team is pushing to reclaim their spot in the championship match. Despite losing four key starters in the offseason, Laura Harvey's squad is still in the hunt for the postseason.

In its first of three road matches, Seattle Reign FC (2-1-3) heads down to hot and humid Texas for a match against the Houston Dash (2-4-0). The game kicks off at 1 PM PT and is the featured Lifetime Game of the Week, which means viewers can catch the game on TV or the Lifetime app.

When he joined FC Kansas City in 2013 as the club's head coach, Vlatko Andonovski had established some local notoriety but was a virtual unknown name in the U.S. soccer scene. Then just 37 years old, Andonovski had moved up the ranks as coach of the Kansas City Comets, an indoor soccer team, before stepping into a brand new role on a brand new team in a brand new league.

The former Seattle Reign forward wants to set a good example for her son.

Former Seattle Reign FC player Sydney Leroux is playing for more than herself now. She's playing for all her FC Kansas City and U.S. teammates, for the fans who follow her career, and most importantly, her son Cassius.

Official Pride games are June 21 (Sounders vs Orlando City), June 22 (Mariners vs Tigers), June 23 (Storm vs Mercury) and June 24 (Reign vs FCKC).

All of Seattle's top-level sports teams are celebrating Pride Month at the same time this year. There will be five consecutive days when the Seattle sports community is celebrating their LGBT fans, staff, and players.

The NWSL is taking a rest this week to honor a FIFA international break, which is good news for Seattle Reign FC, as five players have been called up to report for their respective national teams: Jess Fishlock, Rachel Corsie, Megan Rapinoe, Rebekah Stott, and Lydia Williams.

NWSL soccer is back! After taking a week off for the FIFA international break, Seattle Reign FC (6-3-6) is back in action on Saturday, August 5. The squad returns to Cary, North Carolina, for its second match against the North Carolina Courage (9-5-0) this season.

During the FIFA international break, four women's national teams will head to the West Coast for a three-match Tournament of Nations: Australia, Brazil, Japan, and the United States. Two Seattle Reign FC players — Megan Rapinoe and Rumi Utsugi — have been called up for this tournament.

On the heels of a tough week, during which they played three matches in seven days, Seattle Reign FC (5-2-5) head on the road for a match against the league-leading North Carolina Courage (8-4-0). The match kicks off at 4:30 PM PT on Saturday, July 8, and can be streamed on go90 or NWSLSoccer.com.

While some Seattle Reign FC players used the FIFA international break to get some well-earned rest and recovery time, others reported to their national teams. With the UEFA Women's Euro competition starting next month, this FIFA break offered a final tune-up for a number of European squads.

After Houston's Rachel Daly collapsed from heat exhaustion, the league has changed up some start times.

It was a scary moment: in the last minutes of the Houston Dash's home game against the Seattle Reign, Dash player Rachel Daly collapsed to the pitch and lay insensate. She had been running for 90-plus minutes in direct sun and 92F weather, with a heat index of 102F.

Silver Lining: The game is on Lifetime, therefore no go90 this weekend!

0-8-0 is the record for the Dash against Seattle, with the most recent defeat being in April with a 5-1 loss at Memorial Stadium. So far this season Houston has managed to win a whopping two games, with one of those being at home, and sit in 9th place on the table, barely ahead of the Washington Spirit who have a whole host of their own problems this season.

With six games remaining, Seattle continues its push for a playoff spot.

On Saturday, August 19, Seattle Reign FC (7-5-6) closes out its two-game road stretch with a match against Sky Blue FC (7-9-2) in Piscataway, New Jersey (say that five times fast). The game kicks off at 4 p.m. PT and will stream on the go90 and NWSL websites.

We chat with Hot Time in Old Town about a team that's caused Seattle problems on the road.

On Wednesday evening, Seattle Reign FC kicks off a two-game road trip with a match against the Chicago Red Stars. The game begins at 5 p.m. PT and will stream on go90 and the NWSL website. Every point is critical for Seattle for the rest of the season.

Seattle Reign FC has a tough mid-week match on their hands, as the squad hosts a Chicago Red Stars team with a seven-game unbeaten run on the line. The match kicks off Wednesday, June 28 at 7:30 PM PT, and will stream on the go90 app, the go90 website, and NWSLSoccer.

It's Seattle Reign FC matchday! On Sunday, June 4, at 12 PM PT, Seattle kicks off against the Chicago Red Stars. The game will be played at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, and can be streamed on the go90 platform. It is the second of three matches on the road for Reign FC, and the second straight home match for the Red Stars.

After surviving the Texas heat, Seattle Reign FC (3-1-3) face another road challenge this weekend when they take on the Chicago Red Stars (4-2-1). The game kicks off on Sunday, June 4 at 12 PM PT, and the temperature should be near 87 degrees at kickoff.

The Rest

While the full schedule for the 2018 NWSL season won't be unveiled until next week, the league provided a preview by announcing home openers for all nine teams. Seattle Reign FC will be at home for the opening weekend of NWSL play, hosting the Washington Spirit on Saturday, March 24 at 7 p.

The Thorns' Emily Sonnett and Lindsey Horan are on the preliminary roster for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup, the third annual iteration of the tournament pitting the USWNT against France, Germany, and England.

Two is a record low for number of Thorns in the tournament; last year's featured five in Sonnett, Horan, Tobin Heath, Allie Long, and Amandine Henry.

The speedy right back helped Denmark advance to the UEFA Euro final in 2017.

The busy day, week and month for Seattle Reign FC continued on Wednesday, with the club announcing the signing of Danish right back Theresa Nielsen. The international defender heads to Seattle after helping her country earn silver in the UEFA Euro final in 2017.

While they didn't make the playoffs for the second year in a row, and said goodbye to the only coach they've known in the offseason, Seattle Reign FC players left us with a lot of great memories this season: beautiful goals, triumphant returns from injuries, record-breaking matches, and so much more.

This season there has been a lot to be thankful for. First and foremost we have one more home game!

After Seattle earned another clean sheet and scored two away goals in its 2-0 win in the first leg of the Western Division championship, FiveThirtyEight has upped the probability that Sounders will advance to the MLS Cup to 97%, best odds of any remaining team.

The game was rescheduled as Hurricane Irma is set to make landfall in Florida this weekend.

Seattle Reign FC's road match against the Orlando Pride has been moved due to Hurricane Irma, which is predicted to hit Florida over the weekend. Originally slated to kick off on Saturday, September 9, the game will now take place Thursday, September 7 at 8 p.

Two teams vying for an NWSL playoff spot face off this weekend, as Seattle Reign FC hosts Sky Blue FC on Saturday, July 22. The match, which kicks off at 7 p.m. PT, is the second of three meetings for the two teams this year. Seattle and Sky Blue played to a 2-2 draw in the opening game of the season.

The Reign will be looking for redemption after getting trounced by Boston on the road.

After putting in their worst performance of the season against Boston on the road, Seattle Reign FC (5-3-5) will be looking for redemption this weekend when they host the Boston Breakers (3-6-4). The match kicks off at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, July 15 at 7 PM PT, and will stream on go90 and the NWSL website.

Portland wraps up their three-game week this Saturday with a road trip to Seattle. Hopefully, the Thorns' decisive home win on Wednesday will give them the confidence to keep playing an attacking game, which they'll need in taking on a scrappy, quick-scoring Seattle Reign side.

Projected starting XI

I don't expect a repeat of the Dagny-at-right-back experiment we saw on Wednesday, for reasons to be enumerated below.